1935 - 2016 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 8 D ISTRICT 2 - CHAPTER WEBSITE : WWW .NRHS 1. ORG AUGUST 2016 THE READING TODAY - 1942 Huge, Short-Haul Coal Drags Keep This System’s Wheels Rolling BY BERT PENNYPACKER - COURTESY OF CHAPTER FRIEND PAUL KUTTA Fast passenger trains may be exciting, but it’s freight that brings home the bacon - over 90% of it for Reading Company. More revenue is received from transporting freight of types other than coal, but the “black diamond” traffic provides reliable and steady income that keeps the road on its feet financially. Importance of Reading as a coal-carrier may be shown by the fact that nearly half of its freight cars are coal hoppers (15,500 hoppers out of a total of 32,500 freight cars). Practically all anthracite (hard) coal transported originates on Reading lines. What’s more, the system hauls over POWER PLUS ! NO. 2017 SOUTHBOUND FROM ST. CLAIR YARDS AT PORT CARBON , PA., 80% as much bituminous (soft) coal as anthracite, . WITH A HEAVY COAL DRAG although little originates in its territory. This traffic is obtained principally from the Western Maryland and Pennsylvania railroads at Harrisburg, and New York Central at Newberry Junction. Black diamonds, which are of inestimable value to the railroad today, almost ruined the system years ago. Between 1869 and 1881, the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company (P&RC&I), an associated coal organization, bought many thousands of acres of anthracite coal lands in Pennsylvania. This imposed a tremendous financial burden on the then Philadelphia & Reading Railway, and threw it into receivership several times. Today, however, Reading carries more anthracite coal than any other American railroad, and it can well stake today’s good fortune on sacrifices of yesteryear. Almost all collieries served by Reading are located on the Shamokin Division. Two of the largest shipping points of anthracite are the P&RC&I’s huge Summit and St. Nicholas breakers. Locust Summit breaker is about 12 miles west of Tamaqua, or two miles west of Mahanoy City. Each breaker has a total daily capacity of preparing 10,000 tons of coal for shipment. There are, of course, many other breakers and coal mining companies besides P&RC&I which are served by Reading lines. Coal is obtained at many mines and hauled to centrally located breakers where it is prepared for use and reshipped to buyers. This eliminates [the] cost of maintaining a breaker at each mine. “Colliery crews” work from Gordon, Shamokin, Tamaqua and St. Clair enginehouses, collecting cars of coal from mines and breakers. Worked coal lands do not present a pleasing sight to the eye. Huge piles of slate, earth, and other material has to be excavated to obtain the “diamonds.” The Schuylkill and Susquehanna Rivers are black and often covered with coal dust. At some places, the scene presents a picture of utter desolation and ruin, especially in the St. Clair area, where extensive strip-mining operations are in progress. (Editor’s note: remember, this is 1942, well before the Environmental Protection Agency came into existence). LANCASTER DISPATCHER PAGE 2 AUGUST 2016 Coal earned the Reading 39% of all its revenue in 1941. But what of other commodities hauled? The Reading not only receives much traffic from hundreds of industries served by its tracks, but interchanges at 70 direct connections and junction points. Western Maryland and Pennsylvania freights consisting exclusively of cars bound to and from points on the Reading operate into and out of Rutherford Yard, east of Harrisburg, over Reading tracks. Most of this traffic is soft coal on its way to tidewater ports for export. At Rutherford, cars are classified in a large, modern hump yard and made into freights for the run over Reading tracks to their destinations. Freight bound for the New York area, originating on lines north of Tamaqua, is transferred to the Jersey Central at Haucks Yard, north of Tamaqua. This provides a quick route to New York, eliminating loss of time which would result if it was sent via Philadelphia. Rutherford - Allentown freights run for the same reason; New York freight is transferred to the CNJ at Allentown. Through Main Line freights are routed around Reading, Pa., via the Reading Belt Railroad, which connects with the Main Line north and south of reading, and at Birdsboro. Much export traffic is transported to Port Richmond or Port Reading tidewater terminals. Port Richmond is located on the Delaware River in Northeastern Philadelphia, while Port Reading is situated north of Perth Amboy, N.J., opposite Staten Island. Port Richmond, with its extensive facilities, is one of the largest railway- tidewater terminals in the country. Numerous harbor craft are employed here, part of which handle P-RSL freight coming into Philadelphia from across the river. War traffic has increased Reading’s business to an almost unheard-of volume. Much new freight equipment - gondolas, hoppers, cement and caboose cars - is being built to help take care of this wartime load. Old wooden box cars, idle for years, have been either completely rebuilt or rebuilt into flat cars for use in storing shipments at Port Richmond until shipping facilities can be obtained. Many regularly scheduled “symbol” freights are run; these provide daily service between various points on the system. What of the motive power that moves all these trains? A complete history of this subject was very accur ately related and pictures in an excellent book published by the Reading Company’s Publicity Department, entitled A Century of Reading Company Motive Power. However, there are still some interesting things I should like to relate about Reading locomotives. Most outstanding about Reading motive power is the large number of “Mother Hubbard” locomotives in use. Developed by John E. Wootten in 1877, the boiler that bears his name has been used extensively on both middle and end-cab engines of the system. Many Reading “camelbacks” represent to highest development of this fast-declining type of locomotive. No more camelbacks may be built, according to an I.C.C. ruling, and the Reading will probably be the railroad to take the last remaining camelback out of service, when that sad day finally comes. Even today the system is scrapping many of its older camelbacks - most of the 40 engines scrapped in 1940, and 37 in 1941 - were camelbacks. Many CAMELBACK NO. 1503 BARKS THROUGH A QUAINT PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAIN TOWN WITH A were turned into guns to shoot at the Axis. TRAINLOAD OF ‘BLACK DIAMONDS .” When the Philadelphia suburban electrification project was put into operation, it threw many camelbacks out of service, most of them being scrapped about 1933-35. Those remaining are probably in service, hauling the wartime traffic burden. The Reading has a total of 641 locomotives; 38 are Diesel-electric switchers. The Motive Power and Rolling Equipment Department is located at Reading, Pa., as are the locomotive shops, among the best in the country. LANCASTER DISPATCHER PAGE 3 AUGUST 2016 There are 15 engine terminals located at Bridgeport; Bethlehem; Camden; Erie Avenue, Philadelphia; Gordon; Green Street, Philadelphia; Newberry; Port reading; Reading; Rutherford; Shamokin; St. Clair; Tamaqua; Milton and Wilmington. The Reading is the only road having 0-4-0 camelback switchers. Its 4-4-2 camelbacks of class P-5se (340 series) have the largest drivers in the United States - 86 inches. Its class I-10sa Consolidations (Nos. 2000 to 2049) are among the most powerful of their type ever built (71,000 lbs. tractive effort). The D-11s class of 4-4-0's (Nos 410 to 419) are the heaviest and most powerful American type locomotives in America. They are among the last of their type built for an American Railroad , and all but three - 411, 418 and 419 - were scrapped in 1941. Last but not least, little 1251, 0-6-0 type tank switcher (class B-4a) is the oldest engine on the roster, and probably the oldest locomotive in active service in the United States. Originally number 10 of the Catawissa Railroad, it was built by Baldwin in 1863. The 1251 is used in the Reading Shops. I could go on and on with the story of Reading Today, as much remains unmentioned for lack of space However, this article should give you a fairly comprehensive idea of the Reading Company as it exists now - America’s No. 1 hard coal railroad! Editor’s Note: The book A Century of Reading Company Motive Power was available from the OLDEST LOCOMOTIVE ON THE READING , IF NOT THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES , LITTLE 1251 DATES BACK TO THE CIVIL WAR DAYS WHEN SHE WAS BUILT AS NO. 10 OF THE CATAWISSA RAILROAD Reading Publicity Department, Room 419, Reading Terminal, Philadelphia, for $1.25. READING COMPANY No. 1251 TODAY No. 1251 was the last steam locomotive in I.C.C. service on a Class I railroad before being retired in February, 1964. Sold that same year to George Hart-Rail Tours Inc. of York, PA. Last operated October, 1966. Sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in May, 1968. Moved to the Strasburg Rail Road for storage. Added to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s permanent collection. Cosmetically restored by Reading Company Technical & Historical Society volunteers in 1982. Currently on display indoors. LANCASTER DISPATCHER PAGE 4 AUGUST 2016 THE POWER DIRECTOR “NEWS FROM THE RAILROAD WIRES ” FRA ISSUES PROPOSED RULES ON BIDDING OUT Amtrak board of directors member Tom Carper said during a brief address LONG-DISTANCE AMTRAK ROUTES at Thursday’s open house. “Any city that has a connection to Chicago is By Kevin P. Keefe, June 22, 2016 - Trains News Wire going to appreciate this.” WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s 45-year near monopoly on The two-story, 13,500-square foot lounge overnight passenger trains could end based on a — more than twice the size of the lounge proposal announced today by the Federal Railroad it will replace — seats 360 in a bright, airy Administration to introduce a pilot program allowing space.